Various devices relying on standard refrigerant recycling technologies have been available for many years, such as refrigeration and heat pump devices, having both cooling and heating capabilities. Within the limits of each associated design specification, heat pump devices enable a user to cool or heat a selected environment or with a refrigeration unit to cool a desired location. For these heating and cooling duties, in general, gases or liquids are compressed, expanded, heated, or cooled within an essentially closed system to produce a desired temperature result in the selected environment.
The four basic components used in a refrigeration system are: a compressor; a condenser (heat exchanger); an evaporator (heat exchanger) and an expansion valve. These components are the same regardless of the size of the system. Gaseous refrigerant is compressed by the compressor and transported to the condenser which causes the gaseous refrigerant to liquefy. The liquid refrigerant is transported to the expansion valve and permitted to expand gradually into the evaporator. After evaporating into its gaseous form, the gaseous refrigerant is moved to the compressor to repeat the cycle.
For a refrigerant system to function efficiently, it is very essential that the refrigerant reaching the expansion valve be completely liquified. However, in most cases the vapor from the expansion valve entering the evaporator is not totally vaporized and exists in a both liquid and vapor phase as well. The liquid in the evaporator is in an adiabatic state and therefore cannot absorb or reject heat. Only when liquid changes to the vapor state absorption is increased. The problem is especially true in colder conditions where the refrigerant is not totally vaporized by the time it comes out of the evaporator and a small amount of liquid could go into the compressor. Since liquid cannot be compressed the compressor gets loaded and is ultimately damaged.
The present invention seeks to overcome this problem. A new and improved method of increasing the efficiency and economy of a refrigeration system is presented.